Bullpen car
{{Short description|Car used in professional baseball}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2018}}
File:Red_Sox_Bullpen_Cart_(7224550882).jpg]]
The bullpen car, also known as a bullpen cart, is used in professional baseball to bring relief pitchers into the game from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound during a pitching change. Bullpen cars were used in Major League Baseball from 1950 through 1995, and returned to use in 2018. They have been used in Nippon Professional Baseball since the 1980s.
History
The first bullpen car introduced in Major League Baseball (MLB) was "a little red auto" used by the Cleveland Indians in 1950 at the large Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Chicago White Sox followed suit in 1951, becoming the first team to transport the pitcher from the bullpen all the way to the pitcher's mound.{{cite web|first=Paul|last=Lukas|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=bullpencars/071018 |title=Lukas: Long live the bullpen car |publisher=ESPN |date=October 19, 2007 |access-date=February 24, 2018}} The White Sox discontinued the practice in 1955 after fans continued throwing garbage at the car. In 1959, the Milwaukee Braves began to use a (locally-produced) Harley-Davidson Topper with a sidecar as a bullpen car.{{cite web|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2016/08/09/our-back-pages-county-stadiums-pioneering-bullpen-cart/88374212/|title=Our Back Pages: County Stadium's pioneering bullpen cart|first=Chris|last=Foran|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=August 9, 2016|access-date=February 24, 2018}}
In 1963, the Los Angeles Angels became the first team to use a golf cart as their bullpen car. The New York Mets introduced a bullpen car based on a golf cart with an oversized team hat in 1967.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/the-history-and-mysteries-of-the-mlb-bullpen-cart-c210932342|title=The life, death and rebirth of the bullpen cart|first=Michael|last=Clair|work=MLB.com|date=February 2, 2018|access-date=February 24, 2018}} The New York Yankees began using a Datsun 1200 painted with pinstripes in 1972. Rats chewed through the Datsun's cables, and the team switched to a Toyota Celica in 1982.{{cite web|first=Craig |last=Fitzgerald |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/bullpen-cars-70s-world-series-pitchers-went-mound-021929339.html |title=Bullpen Cars: How '70s World Series Pitchers Went to the Mound |publisher=Yahoo.com |date=October 25, 2013 |access-date=February 24, 2018}} The White Sox introduced a bullpen car built off of a Chrysler LeBaron in 1981, but it was also unpopular with pitchers, who refused to ride in it, and fans, who threw garbage at it.
File:リリーフカー (6843100006) (2).jpg riding in a Toyota MR-S bullpen car]]
The Seattle Mariners began using a version designed to look like a tugboat in 1982,{{cite web|last=Bierman |first=Fred |url=https://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/nice-ride/ |title=Nice Ride |work=The New York Times |date=August 2, 2010 |access-date=February 24, 2018}} called the M.S. Relief. On Opening Day of the 1982 season, the Mariners' Bill Caudill hid the keys to the bullpen car, causing a delay in the start of the game.{{cite web|last=Perry |first=Dayn |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/just-because-the-greatest-bullpen-car-of-all-time/ |title=Just because: The greatest bullpen car of all-time |publisher=CBSSports.com |date=October 31, 2013 |access-date=February 24, 2018}} Caudill organized a boycott of the tugboat, saying that it "should be fined as an embarrassment to the team".{{cite news |date=May 19, 1982 |title=M's pen: Thought weak before season, relief corps has been strong suit |page=D1 |work=The Seattle Times}} No Mariners player ever rode in the tugboat, and it was removed from use less than a week later.{{cite news |last=Finnigan |first=Bob |date=April 20, 1982 |title=Relievers scuttle boat gimmick |page=D2 |work=The Seattle Times}}
Pitchers disliked the bullpen cars, leading to them being phased out. The last MLB team to use a bullpen car prior to its reintroduction in 2018 was Milwaukee, which phased out their motorcycle (which was also produced by Harley-Davidson) in 1995.
The bullpen car remained in use in Japanese baseball. Most of them are convertibles so that fans can see the players inside, including many one-offs provided to the teams by the manufacturer. In the 1980s, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball introduced a bullpen car, a one-off Datsun Bluebird (910) convertible.{{cite web|url=http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/video-custom-nissans-used-for-baseball-promos/ |title=Video: Custom Nissans used for baseball promos |publisher=Japanese Nostalgic Car |date=April 7, 2017 |access-date=March 6, 2018}} It was the first of a few bullpen cars provided by Nissan to their hometown team. It would be followed by a Be-1 and S-Cargo in the 90s.{{cite web|url=https://www.sporttechie.com/yokohama-dena-baystars-bullpen-car-is-electric-nissan-leaf-with-zero-emissions/|title=Yokohama DeNA BayStars' Bullpen Car Is Electric Nissan Leaf With Zero Emissions|date=April 11, 2017|first=Kendra|last=Andrews|work=SportTechie|access-date=March 3, 2018}} In 2017, the BayStars began using the Nissan Leaf, while Yasuaki Yamasaki used a Toyota MR-S to enter games.{{cite web|last=Landers |first=Chris |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/yokohama-dena-baystars-closer-yasuaki-yamasaki-enters-game-on-sports-car-c239092 |title=This Japanese league closer rode in from the bullpen atop a sweet sports car |work=MLB.com |date= |access-date=February 24, 2018}}{{cite web|last=Axisa |first=Mike |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/watch-japanese-league-closer-enters-the-game-from-the-bullpen-in-a-convertible/ |title=Watch: Japanese league closer enters the game from the bullpen in a convertible |publisher=CBSSports.com |date=June 27, 2017 |access-date=February 24, 2018}} The Tokyo Yakult Swallows also use a custom Nissan, a one-off Y34 Cedric roadster.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanspo.com/article/20171230-EVC4MI4RO5JYNCPCGSL2MTCP5U/|title=２０１７年大活躍したマスコットたちのフォト集／ヤクルト|publisher=Sankei Digital|date=December 30, 2017|website=サンスポ}} The Hanshin Tigers currently use a modified smart fortwo convertible.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChQHa3ITffM |title=YouTube |publisher=YouTube |date= |access-date=2021-08-04}}
In KBO League in South Korea, Kia Tigers uses white Kia EV9 as their bullpen car in 2023, 2024 Season. And it changed as Kia Tasman in 2025 Season.{{cite web|url=https://biz.chosun.com/sports/baseball/2023/08/26/IXMIJOAQYZ3L7OA4IHE6I75HVE/|title=Kia 타이거즈, 시구·불펜카로 대형 전기 SUV EV9 선보인다|first=후광|last=이|work=조선비즈|date=August 26, 2023|access-date=September 20, 2023}} It entered use in 2014 at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. Also EV9 was used in 2024 Korean Series as Bullpen car. Hanwha Eagles uses Porsche Taycan as bullpen car in 2024 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.autodaily.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=516072|title=8경기 7승 1패 달라진 한화, 올 시즌 불펜카로 포르쉐 타이칸 등장|first=세민|last=이|work=M투데이|date=April 2, 2024|access-date=April 2, 2023}}
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league, introduced a bullpen car in 2012.{{cite news|first=Dave|last=Caldwell|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/automobiles/a-baseball-veteran-returns-to-the-mound-the-bullpen-car.html?_r=0 |title=A Baseball Veteran Returns to the Mound: The Bullpen Car|work=The New York Times |date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=February 24, 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/page/caple-120606/the-bullpen-cart-alive-well-sugar-land-skeeters|title=C'mon And Take A Free Ride|publisher=ESPN|date=June 6, 2012|access-date=February 24, 2018}}
With an increasing focus on speeding up the pace of play of MLB games, MLB had a committee discuss bringing back the bullpen car in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/12568605/mlb-mlb-bring-back-bullpen-carts|title=Time to bring back bullpen carts?|publisher=ESPN|first=Jerry|last=Crasnick|date=March 31, 2015|access-date=February 24, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-is-reportedly-considering-bringing-back-bullpen-carts-to-improve-pace-of-play/|title=MLB is reportedly considering bringing back bullpen carts to improve pace of play: Bullpen carts are viewed as a potential answer to the pace of play problem|first=R.J.|last=Anderson|work=CBS Sports|date=February 2, 2018|access-date=February 24, 2018}} The Arizona Diamondbacks announced they would introduce their first bullpen car prior to the 2018 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22665199/arizona-diamondbacks-use-golf-cart-bring-relief-pitchers-2018|title=Golf cart to bring in relief pitchers is reborn with Diamondbacks|first=Darren|last=Rovell|publisher=ESPN|date=March 6, 2018|access-date=March 6, 2018}} While the car was available on Opening Day, March 29, 2018, the first reliever to make use of it was Collin McHugh on May 5, 2018, for a sixth-inning relief role in the Diamondbacks' 18th home game of the season.{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23418250/arizona-diamondbacks-bullpen-cart-used-houston-astros-collin-mchugh|title=In 18th game, new D-backs bullpen cart makes first trip|date=May 6, 2018|access-date=May 6, 2018|work=ESPN}} The Detroit Tigers were the second team to introduce a bullpen car, on April 13, 2018,{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/tigers-set-to-unveil-new-bullpen-cart-friday-and-youre-going-to-want-to-see-the-design/|title=Tigers set to unveil new bullpen cart Friday, and you're going to want to see the design|date=April 13, 2018|access-date=August 18, 2018|work=CBS Sports}} and the Washington Nationals became the third team to introduce one, on August 17, 2018.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2018/08/17/the-nationals-have-a-new-bullpen-cart-but-most-of-their-relievers-dont-expect-to-use-it/|title=The Nationals have a new bullpen cart, but most of their relievers don't expect to use it|date=August 17, 2018|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=August 4, 2021}} A bullpen car designed to look like a baseball glove was used during the 2020 Summer Olympics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bullpen-cart-olympic-baseball-japan-team-usa-11627720730|title=The Zen of the Olympic Bullpen Cart|first=Andrew Beaton and Joshua|last=Robinson|date=July 31, 2021|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=August 4, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31921997/olympics-2021-ride-style-olympics-baseball-bullpen-car-featuring-baseball-glove-throne|title=Ride in style: The bullpen car is the Olympic Games' best amenity|date=July 30, 2021|website=ESPN.com|access-date=August 4, 2021}}
References
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